This Home of Flesh and Bones
by Vibeke E
Summary: "I'm not a baby, guys," Nora complains. She has already caused enough trouble, the last thing she wants is everyone to think she's a fragile weakling that gets crushed by a stupid cold. "I'm not going to die from a flu. Gideon is keeping me monitored. Besides," she adds with a sheepish grin. "Everyone is pampering me. I don't exactly mind that." [《The One Who Loves the One I Love ]


__This is my family.__  
 _ _I found it all on my own.__  
 _ _It's little, and broken, but still good.__  
 _ _Yeah.__  
 _ _Still good.__

― Lilo & Stitch

x

Nora wakes up to a familiar weight pressing gently all over her, paralising her on the spot. She doesn't mind. She's used, by now, to waking up in a tangle of heavy limbs, and not being able to move is a price she is willing to pay – __gladly__ – if this means she gets to open her eyes every day and find Ray and Nate asleep at her sides.

She sighs blissfully, savouring the soft warmth of naked skin against her naked skin.

She doesn't need to open her eyes to know the weight she feels is Nate. She can tell the boys apart from miles away just from hearing them snore. Sara says it's cute; Zari says it's depressing. Nora would have probaby agreed with the latter, once, back in a life that doesn't feel like her own any more; now, she's definitely with Sara.

Nate is slumbering as peacefully as a baby with his head on her chest, an arm and a leg flung across her. She stretches, her body pleasantly sore, and smiles when Nate, still snoring, readjusts himself as she moves. She runs a hand in his hair, combing through the dishevelled locks, and receives a long, content hum in return.

"G'mo'n'n," he mumbles, nuzzling his face into her neck. He brushes a lazy kiss down to her collarbone, which Nora reciprocates with a peck on his forehead.

"Good morning."

She slids her fingers along his side until they find the firm roundness of his ass, and there they stop. She does this all the time with Ray, too: it's her favourite place to rest her hands (and occasionally dig her teeth).

Nate clings tighter and closer to her like the giant koala he is, then lets out a long, sleepy breath. "Where's Ray?"

"Probably providing breakfast," she guesses. She rubs her feet along Nate's calves, and it's strange not to have Ray's legs nudging between hers.

"I can't believe he __loves__ doing that," Nate comments, only half awake, his voice is still hoarse and thick with sleep. "How did he even roll out of bed? I can barely move."

Nora is sure Ray had at least a little trouble getting up, too.

"It was a pretty wild night, huh?" she smirks.

"Yeah, we definitely need to do that again. In, like, a month or two."

"Aww," Nora coos mockingly. "We tired out our big boy?"

"Are you teasing me, Darhkling?" Nate trails his fingers down her ribs, tickling exactly where he knows she's most sensitive.

She holds back a giggle and rolls her eyes dramatically. "Of course I am. Duh."

"Rise and shine, my loves!" Ray bursts into the room without bothering to knock, a bright smile and a large tray loaded with breakfast in his hands. The intense aroma of fresh coffee instantly fills the air. "The day is young and we're off to a mission in twenty minutes! I brought you whole weat pancakes, coffee and orange juice!"

Nate groans and ducks under the sheets, curling up against Nora. "I'm not leaving the most wonderful place in the world for a lousy summer camp or whatever it is this time."

Nora shrugs at Ray in a way that says 'He's got a point', but Ray grins smugly: "We have zombie sightings in Limerick, Ireland, 1624."

It does the trick: Nate bolts up at once. "Did you just say __zombies?"__ Without waiting for an answer, he scrambles out of bed and frantically starts collecting clothes from all over the room.

"Those are mine," Ray notes, watching Nate pick up a pair of black briefs, then a random red sweater. "That, too."

Nate puts them on all the same.

"No time to be picky," says Nora in a practical tone. She retrieves Nate's white briefs from the floor and casually slids into them. The boys stare with gaping mouths as she pulls them up her legs with deliberate slowness, enjoying every second of their growing __interest__. She gives them a sultry look before slipping into one of their t-shirts (even Ray and Nate can't remember to which of them it belonged to originally), then heads for the bathroom. They're going to have to change, anyway.

"I might need a cold shower, now," Ray mutters without moving. Beside him, Nate swallows hard and nods.

"I might need two."

"Just don't go in there together," Nora warns mischievously. "Or we're going to be late again."

x

"That was disgusting."

"You mean epic!"

"You're covered in sticky, smelly goo, Nate, what's epic about it?" Sara argues.

"We slayed zombies!" Ray exclaims. He and Nate high-five.

"They were __ghouls__ ," Zari corrects. "And they nearly ate your face."

"And we had to chase them through a bloody sewer," Charlie spits, trying to shake the goo off her clothes. It's useless: Nora is covered in it head to toe and fire is probably the only way to get rid of it. Some of the team, the lucky ones, are just drenched in filthy, glacial water.

"Still epic."

"Disgusting," Zari insistes.

Mick stumbles through the portal, soaked and with a nasty cut on his face. "I freezed my ass out down there. I need a drink."

"You read my mind, mate," says Charlie, following him to the kitchen.

"We should write a report for the Time Beaureu, first!" Zari stops them, gaining death glares from them both.

"Alright, kids, enough," Sara waves a hand tiredly. "We're all freezing, but some of you smell quite badly, so why don't you go ahead and get cleaned up?"

Nora looks down at herself and has to concede the Captain has a point. The temperature in Limerick was not exactly friendly and she can already feel the first symptoms of a cold in her head and in her bones. "I could use a hot shower," she admits, then glances at Ray and Nate with a glint in her eyes.

Ray is the first to pick up the hint: " _ _Oh.__ " His face lits up. "Y-yeah, me too!"

"Me three!" says Nate eagerly. Before they reach the door, Nate's shirt flies to the floor behind him.

"You'd better not break the shower door again!" Sara calls after them, even though they're already out of earshot.

Zari raises a hand with a disgusted grimace. "Petition for OT3 to have their own bathroom?"

Sara crosses her arms and sighs. "Accepted."

"Petition to put a webcam in it," Mick adds, and Charlie turns to him with an approving chuckle: "Yeah, mate!"

" _ _Denied,__ " Sara groans, and slaps them both behind their heads. "Off you go, scoundrels! Go get your alcohol and __behave__!"

Zari appears by her side and watches with her as Mick and Charlie rush away.

"You're going to have me check the whole ship for hidden cameras, aren't you?" she asks, purely rhetorically, and just as rhetorically Sara replies: "Of course."

x

The cold has definitely kicked in, and maybe it's something a bit worse than a cold.

Nora has had her head into the toilet for the last ten minutes, and by now she firmly believes she has nothing left to spill, if not her own guts. She feels awful: her joints are sore and waves of nausea keep creeping up her throat despite the fact that she's already thrown up the whole lunch, and possibly some breakfast.

She flushes, then splashes fresh water over her face and rinses her mouth again and again, until the bitter taste of her bile has almost disappeared.

She exits the bathroom holding on to the wall to keep herself steady. Her knees feel too shaky to bear her weight.  
Maybe the boys were right. Maybe she should have stayed in bed, today.

When her legs buckle, her head is spinning so much it takes her a moment to realise she has collapsed into someone's arms.

"Oi! Are you okay, sister? You look like rubbish."

The thick accent resonates distantly in her head, and a very small part of her brain processes the voice as Charlie's.

"I __feel__ like rubbish," Nora says, pressing the back of a hand against her lips. The nausea hasn't worn off completely.

Charlie stays awkwardly still for a few seconds, then tries to adjust her position to be able to get a better grip on Nora: she throws Nora's arm around her own neck and slides an arm around her waist. "Alright, here we go." She tries a few steps, which Nora follows automatically. She has no sense of space and direction. "Let's get ya seated, yeah?"

"Thanks," Nora mumbles weakly. "I'm just a little dizzy."

"Dizzy, huh? Good luck with that."

Is there amusement in Charlie's voice? Nora isn't sure, but she has a feeling that, for some reason, Charlie is making fun of her.

"Why?" she asks absently.

Charlie snickers under her breath. "Nothing. Come on, I'll walk ya. Just don't puke on me."

x

"I think Darhkling's knocked up."

Zari chokes on her chocolate pudding. Sara looks up from her tablet with arched brows. " _ _Excuse me?"__

Charlie throws herself into the closest armchair, slings her legs across one side and shrugs. "She's all pale and pukey, and she's got not one but __two__ hunky superheroes with super stamina keeping her warm her at night, doesn't she?"

Zari's face twists in disgust. "Why did you make me picture that?"

"I think that's kinda hot."

"Ugh!"

"Okay, let's stay focused." Sara stands up and starts pacing the room. "If Charlie's right and Nora is pregnant – __if__ – we should take a few precautions with her."

"Isn't it a little too late for that?" Charlie snickers, earning a warning glare from Sara.

"Nora is not allowed on the field until the situation is clarified. We'll give her space and wait for her to tell us."

Sara needs a drink. No, she needs ten. She feels like a parent with a pregnant teenager: there was nothing she could have done to prevent it, yet she feels responsible. Which is absurd, because she is not Nora's mother, and, even if she was, Nora is an adult who can look after herself and make her own decisions, which apparently includes being fucking irresponsible. Same goes for those two idiots. Sara is going to have to give them a little speech, once the cat is out of the bag.

But what if they __wanted__ this? What if this is no accident at all and they are all ready to settle down and give up time travelling for a white picket fence and a handful of squealing children?

"Do you think Ray and Nate know?" Zari wonders, as if reading Sara's mind.

"I don't even think Nora knows," says Charlie, who isn't remotely afftected by the situation.

Zari casts a pensieve look around: "Shouldn't we, like, clue her in or something?"

Sara rubs a hand over her face. This isn't what she bargained for when she became the Captain of this team. At least she's no longer a single parent.

"This is none of our business," she declares tiredly. "Let's let the OT3 work this out on their own. In the meantime, just act normal."

x

Nora emerges from the bathroom and needs to cling to the wall for a few seconds. Her head is spinning. Again. It must be because of all the throwing up: she hasn't been able to keep anything down for a couple of days and her body is starting to suffer the consequences.

She's been sitting out the last few missions, and the shots Gideon has been giving her are only partially effective.

She tries to take a couple of steps, but her balance keeps swaying left and right. She reaches out for the wall again, but lands into someone's arms, instead.

"Watch out, kid," Zari says in an uncharacteristically mild tone. Things have hugely improved between her and Nora, but they're still a bit guarded around each other. Usually.

Nora doesn't even know why everyone calls her __kid__. She's pretty certain she's not the youngest on board. Being the latest addition makes her the little one, she guesses.

Zari holds her up, makes her take a few deep breaths, then stays with her until she's sure Nora can stand on her own.

"Better?"

Nora nods. She can still taste the bitter bile on her tongue.

"Alright, let's get you sitting down."

"Z, I'm fine."

"No, you're not, and if you won't take care of yourself, I'm going to make you."

Nora can't help a small smile. "Thanks."

When they get to the parlour, Zari eases down on the couch. Sara, who is on a video-call with Ava, excuses herself and rushes to see what happened.

"What's wrong?" she inquires, couching down in front of Nora.

Zari returns with a large bowl. She hands it to Nora. "Just in case," she says, urging Nora to take it, then turns to Sara: "She staggered out of the bathroom and nearly fainted on me."

"I'm okay, now," promises Nora. She tries to stand up but immediately Zari and Sara point their fingers at her and snap in unison: "Sit down."

Nora grudgingly obeys. She generally doesn't like being bossed around, but this... this is different. She's just getting used to being taken care of so lovingly by Ray and Nate, and getting this very feeling from the girls is strange. In a nice way.

"You look very... __green__ ," Sara observes with a hint of concern. "Z, can you make her a cup of tea, please? Put some sugar in it."

Zari raises two fingers to her forehead. "Aye aye, Captain!"

"That's not-" Nora tries to protest, but Sara freezes her with a scolding gaze.

"You wanna be on my ship? Then I'm your Captain, and you do as I say."

Nora lowers her eyes feeling a warmth in her cheeks that has nothing to do with her sickness. "Aye aye, Captain," she says, a small smile stretching her lips.

She's been living on this ship for about six months, but so far she has tipotoed her way through the corridors, keeping herself in a corner, in the shadows, feelings like she had no place among these people. Despite Ray and Nate constantly reassuring her and encouraging her to loosen up __(You can't be a misfit among misfits)__ , Nora has never felt like she truy belonged on the Waverider. So far.

What Sara and Zari are doing for her right now is simple, but means so much to her, because it makes her feel like she's one of their own for the very first time.

Charlie shows up when Nora is halfway through her ginger and lemon tea. She props a shoulder against the wall and takes a sip from a bottle of beer, scrutinising Nora curiously.

"Is Gorgeous ill again?"

"Just low blood sugars," Nora groans, a bit irked by the fact that Charlie keeps addressing her in the third person.

"Uh huh."

Nora frowns at Charlie. "She keeps giving me that look," she complains, turning questioningly to Sara and Zari. "What is that? What does it mean?"

"Don't mind Charlie," says Sara. "She's – you know..." She makes a non-committal face and shurgs. "British."

"I'll settle a special menu for you," Zari conveyes. She's taking notes on her tablet. "Eating light and clean should help you keep something down."

"You should also have Gideon run a few tests," Sara cut in with an odd conversational tone. "You know, just in case."

"Okay," Nora promises.

Sara sends her back to bed once her tea is over.

"She really is that clueless," she says as soon as Nora is gone.

Charlie arches a brow. "Told ya."

"Those two idiots are going to be overjoyed."

Zari gags. "Please, fire me before she starts showing."

Sara pats her shoulder.

x

Nora, Ray, and Nate have a bathroom of their own, now.

It's in front of their room, the best they could get. It must have something to do with the fact that they kept occupying the main bathroom for... not bathroom purposes. It's twice a blessing, now, because Nora is spending so much time in there, between the sickness and the consequent tooth brushing, that the others would have had trouble getting in there at all. Ray stresses she shouldn't be brushing her teeth after vomiting (it's because of gastric acids corroding something in her teeth – she wasn't really listening) but she can't help it.

Ray and Nate are waiting outside when she finally emerges from the door. She knows how bad she looks: washed out, blue shades under her eyes, wrapped in an ugly hoodie twice her size – maybe more, now. She's lost five pounds in the last week.

Nate frowns when he sees her. "You look awful, Darhkling."

"Thanks, babe," Nora replies, dragging herself past him towards their room's door. She just wants to lie down and maybe sleep, if she can.

Ray opens the door for her. "You know what he means," he says, following her inside. He and Nate keep exchanging looks.

Nora goes to the desk, pours herself some lemon infused water and drinks in small sips. "Do you guys look fabulous when you have a flu?" she retorts wearily when she sets the glass down, giving the boys a pointed look.

Ray blinks. "No, but-" he stutters, just as Nate exclaims indignantly: "Of course!"

They exchange yet another look and Nora rolls her eyes. The movement causes her a sudden veritigo. Before she even knows, Ray gets her and he scoops her up like she's a kitten.

"It's okay. I got you."

She's small in his arms, all curled up against his chest. He holds her like she weights nothing, and Nora feels so much love in the way his hand soothingly strokes her hair, in the soft touch of his lips against her temple.

The warmth irradiating from Ray's body makes her sleepy. She glides a hand up his chest and cups the side of his neck, swiping her thumb over the tendons and the hard muscles. It's a pattern she knows so well – every inch, every shape – it's carved in her memory like it's a part of herself.

"Don't put me down," she begs lazily. It feels too good: she could easily stay like this for the rest of the day. Week, possibly.

Ray obeys with a smile. He sits on the bed with Nora in his arms, and a moment later Nate joins, pulls Nora's legs to his lap, rubs a hand up and down her thigh. "Someone's cuddly, huh?"

Nora crack an eye opwn at him and nudges his belly with her knee: "Says the number one spooner in the triple."

"Don't say that like you don't love it," Nate protests, pointing finger at her and then at Ray, who is trying, very poorly, to hide a chuckle. "You both love it." Then he asks Nora: "How's your stomach doing?"

"Better. If I don't move too much I can almost believe the sickness is gone."

"Maybe we should take you to see a real doctor," suggests Ray.

"I'm not a baby, guys," Nora complains. She has already caused enough trouble, the last thing she wants is everyone to think she's a fragile weakling that gets crushed by a stupid cold. "I'm not going to die from a flu. Gideon is keeping me monitored. Besides," she adds with a sheepish grin. "Everyone is pampering me. I don't exactly mind that."

Nate snorts. "Oh, like we neglect you all the time, right? Poor baby girl!"

Nora nuzzles her face in Ray's neck and tickles him with the tip of her nose. "Ray, Nate is mocking me," she whines. Ray strokes her hair with a laugh.

"He does have a point, honey."

Nate grins triumpantly. Nora groans.

"Ugh. Two versus one is not fair."

x

When Ray and Nate bring up the problem with the team, none of them seems half as concerned as the two of them are.

"I'm worried about her," Ray is stressing. "She's been sick for a while, now, and it doesn't seem to pass."

Nate nods in agreement. "Yeah. I held her hair back as she threw up, this morning. It wasn't pleasant." He pauses when he realises everyone is giving him strange looks. "What?"

"Nothing," says Zari in the most __not nothing__ tone ever.

"What do you know that we don't?" Ray checks around nervously, but all he gets in terturn is an awkward silence. "Guys!" he and Nate urge in unison. It makes them turn to each other: Ray arches his brows, Nate shrugs. It's not like they can __help__ being so synchronised.

When no response comes, Nate pales: "Is it serious? Oh my god, it's serious. She's dying, isn't she?"

Sara stands from her armchair and rubs Nate's arms soothingly: "It __is__ serious, but she's definitely not dying, don't worry."

He looks at Ray, who is white and wide-eyed and has apparently lost his power of speech.

"Okay, just spill it already!"

Charlie clicks her tongue. She uncrosses her legs and jumps out of the couch to place her hands on the boys' shoulders: "Your sweet lassie's got a bun in the oven."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

As a reply, Charlie shifts into a heavily pregnant version of Nora and bats her lashes dramatically while rocking her sizeable belly. Ray's and Nate's jaws drop.

"Oh my god," Nate grabs Ray's arm and shakes him. "Dude! Why hasn't she told us?"

Ray isn't responsive.

"We don't think she knows," Zari meddles in a weirdly soft voice.

Ray blinks. It takes him a moment to snap out of his trance, and when he does, he grabs Nate's shirt frantically: "Oh my god. She's been drinking coffee!"

"We've been secretly replacing Nora's coffees with decaf," Zary conveyes, and both boys exhale in relief.

"Thank goodness."

"And Z is making sure she gets all the nutrients she needs with every meal," adds Charlie, wrapping an arm around Zari's shoulder with a wink. Ray and Nate would normally notice Zari __blush,__ but as of now they're a little too preoccupied with their own situation.

"Should we talk to her?" Ray is wondering. "I mean, this is pretty huge."

"She has a right to find out by herself, I think," Sara replies. She's looking at them like they're two kids on their first day of school.

Nate takes a deep breath and nods slowly. "Okay. So what do we do?"

"We wait," Sara says firmly. "And in the meantime we keep her and the baby safe."

There is a minute of stalling, during which Ray and Nate just goggle at each other with silly blank stares, until Ray's face breaks into an equally stupid silly grin: "Bro. We're gonna be dads."

Nate's eyes are shimmering as he grins back and pulls Ray into a crushing hug: "Oh my god, bro."

"Bro."

"Bro."

Zari buries her face in Charlie's shoulder and groans loudly.

"Please, kill me."

x

Zari prepares food for her all the time. She doesn't just ask Gideon: she actually takes the ingredients and works them together to make delicious dishes she places before Nora with a stern look that can't completely conceal the ghost of a smile. She's especially good at making stuff that Nora won't throw up within minutes, which Nora is particularly grateful of.

Today's lunch includes boiled rice, beans and broccoli, which Nora isn't exactly ecstatic about, but she can't complain, especially knowing this is actually making her feel better.

"Thank you, Z."

"No prob."

Mick piles three hamburgers in his plate and asks: "So Pretty Eyes's not dying?"

"Pretty sure not, Mick," Nora smiles. "Thanks for asking, though."

Mick raises his beer in her direction. "You're welcome."

Nora has never sat around such a crowded, messy table, before joining the Legends, and, like several other things, she had no idea what she was missing out. She never said this out loud, not even to the boys, but she loves these folks and she wouldn't trade this life with them for anything in the world.

The thing is, she's enjoying this more than she dares to admit. She lost her mother way too soon, and since that her life hasn't been exactly idilliac. And then she met Ray, she met these people, and though she hated the idea at first, now, six months later, she thinks this ship might truly become her home.

"Can you pass the wine, Ray?"

The clatter and the chit-chatting stop abruptly. Nora looks up to find everyone staring at her like she just asked for puppy roast.

"What?"

Ray carefully pushes the wine as far as he can from her. "You shouldn't be drinking while you're... indisposed."

She opens her mouth to protest, but Nate places his hand over hers and says gently: "Ray's right, Nore. You've just started getting better, you should take it easy."

"I'm sure half a glass won't-"

"Come on, babe, don't be stubborn," Nate insists. "We just care about your health."

"Besides," says Charlie, stealing the whole bottle. "You can't have wine if the wines's over, yeah?"

"Cheers!" Mick clinks bottles with her and they proceed to drain them in one single go. Everyone else lets out a very indiscreet relived breath.

Nora observes them all with suspicious eyes.

"You guys are acting weird."

x

She's jolted awake by an all too familiar feeling in her stomach.

Nora carefully slips out of the comforting warmth of the human trap she's snuggled into and pads to the desk to pour herself some of the tea Zari prepared for her.

A couple of sips are enough to soothe the wave of nausea that woke her up. She sits on the desk with her feet on the chair and stays there, elbows propped on her spread knees, and watches. Watches her boys sleeping serenely around her empty spot, ankles tangled together. She can still feel the print of Ray's chest against her back and Nate's chest against her chest.

She smiles fondly.

She could stare at this sight forever.

She still finds it hard to believe that this is all hers – good night and good morning kisses, her clothes and the boys' scattered on the floor for Ray to collect and fold neatly in the morning, a favourite mug all for her in the kitchen cupboard, warm arms to come home to...

Ray starts snoring. It takes less than three seconds for Nate to follow suit. They do this all the time, and Nora wonders if they know. She should probably tell them, just to see them blush and deny.

She would happily give her life for these two dorks. For anyone on board of this ship, really.

"Nora?" calls Ray's drowsy voice. His hand pats the empty mattress until he's touching Nate's arm. "Not Nora," he mumbles as his fingers grope the taut bicep that is most definitely __not__ Nora's.

She stifles a giggle behind her hand.

"Not Nora what?" whispers Nate in a sleepy drawl that gets smothered by his face being half buried in his pillow.

"I'm right here, guys," she says fondly. "Go back to sleep."

"Yeah, Ray, go back to sleep," Nate hums and rolls closer to Ray; he nuzzles against Ray's chest and literally __purrs__ when Ray pulls him into his arms.

Nora's heart swells. She would have never thought she would ever come to love someone as much as she loves these two beautiful idiots. She didn't even believe to be capable of it.

She can't help wondering what tomorrow might have in store for the three of them. She can see Ray and Nate living in a pretty house, white picket fence and all, with a dog, a cat, and a couple of children running around. A happy, domestic life. But she cannot see herself with them. She would like to have that – all of that – but she doesn't think she would be a good family woman, let alone a good mother.

She thinks of Sara, of the way she takes care of them all with such patience and affection, and tries to picture herself doing the same for a family of her own, but all she sees is what she's done in her past, the ugliness still lingering under the fresh paint of her new and improved self, lurking. She's not that person anymore, but it's a long way to __normal__ and she's just at the beginning of the path.

Maybe one day, at some point in the future, she'll be able to give the boys everything they deserve.

She hopes so, at least.

Nora pours herself some more tea.

She wants to enjoy the sight of her dorks cuddled together for a little while longer.

x

So maybe chasing a Yeti into an abandoned warehouse in the middle of a Siberian nowhere wasn't the smartest move. Especially because, as soon as they were inside, all entrances and ways out were instantly sealed with a thick icy patina that even Mick's gun couldn't thaw.

Now they are trapped in a giant box with a ten-foot fluffball they cannot seem to be able to fight.

Nora envelops her arms around herself with a shiver. "It's freezing in here. What the hell."

It's cold outside, but the temperature in here is several degrees below zero, somehow, and they are not equipped for this.

"Take my coat, honey," Ray offers immediately. He strips out of his coat and hands it to Nora.

"Yeah, and this." Nate wraps his own scarf around her until she only has her eyes left out. Nora swats his hands away and emerges from the coils of the scarf just in time to glare Ray and his coat away.

"I'm alright, guys."

"It's too cold," Ray objects. "It's not good for the- the flu." He casts a surreptitious look at Nate, who mouths something like __'Nailed it'__ in return.

"You want to keep my flu warm?" Nora giggles. She's okay with overprotectiveness, but the boys are taking this a little too far.

Ray approaches her with his coat spread open in his hands: "Just put this on, please."

"I'm not __that__ cold, and you're only wearing a t-shirt!"

An howl echoes among the empty walls surrounding them. They try to figure out where it came from, but the place is a maze of towers of boxes and cobwebs and not a single speck of dust is moving.

"I could use my magic to try to-" Nora begins, but Ray and Nate turn to her with a panicked "No!".

She frowns questioningly. Sara comes forward with a conciliating smile: "What they mean," she says, eyes the two boys warningly. "Is that we need a plan first, and as we work on said plan, Nora should politely accept what her boyfriends are offering, so that they'll finally shut up and focus on getting the hell out of here."

Nora wants to retort, but Sara points a threatening finger at her: "Don't make me mom out on you again."

"Okay, you know what?" Nate strides impatiently to Nora, opens his coat and closes it around her, pulling her back to himself. "I dare you to complain about this."

Nora giggles, throws her head back against his chest to smirk at him. "No one's complaining."

As a response, Nate bends his neck to drop a satisfied soft peck on the tip of her nose. "Good girl," he whispers, and Nora sighs blissfully. She looks at Ray, who is putting his coat back on while smiling fondly at them. She smiles back.

"Okay, guys, let's try to keep the rating below R," Zari comments with a grimace.

"I think I know how we can get out." Ray is looking at an electric panel next to the main entrance. "Nora, can you conjure a flux of electricity through that panel over there?"

Nora thinks she knows what he wants to do: everything in the warehouse is covered in ice. Ice means water. Water means they can virtually fry the whole damn place up, Yeti included. It will be enough to knock out the big guy long enough to send it back to where it came from.

"Sure, I-"

"No, she __can't__ , Ray." Nate casts him a pointed gaze. "We don't know if that is harmful for the __flu__."

Ray's face falls. "Oh. Right. The __flu__."

"None of us is going to see the end of this __flu__ if we die in here," Sara snaps impatiently, hands on her hips. "So, please, let's get back to Ray's idea."

"I can help Nora," John proposes. "Is that alright, love?"

Nora nods, full of gratitude. "Yes, thank you."

Ray's plan is brilliant and, of course, with a little shielding for the team from John, Nora successfully electrocutes the whole warehouse. It leaves her exhausted, but satisfied: she likes being useful. It helps her believe what Ray and Nate tell her all the time: _"_ _ _You're not just a guest. We all love you. We all need you."__

x

Back on the Waverider, Nora finds herself buried under a pile of blankets before anyone else has even shaken off their frozen clothes.

"Wait, what's going on?" she asks in dismay after a cup of steamy tea materialises in her hands seemingly out of thin air.

"Drink that," Zari orders.

"Okay, but-"

"Gideon, can you prepare a hot bath for Nora, please?" Sara requests. She and the others are hoarding their icy coats in a corner; they all look as freezing as Nora, so she can't quite understand why everyone is fussing around her.

"I think Mick and Zari should get any sort of treatment first," she complains. "They have frostbite and Mick took a very nasty blow from the Yeti."

"My head is stronger than a wall," Mick grumbles.

"Sure it is," Charlie chimes in, bumping fists with him.

"You know, babe, why don't you let Gideon give you a check up, first?" Nate suggests. "A __very thorough__ check up," he stresses.

"I feel perfectly fine, why would I need a-"

"This is getting boring," Mick cuts in. He walks up to Nora and stares at her very seriously: "Don't be selfish, Darhkling: think of your little one."

"Mick!" Nate, Ray, Sara and Zari exclaim all at the same time.

John chuckles. "Guess the secret's out."

"What secret? What little one?" Nora inquires, an impatient edge to her tone. "What are you guys even talking bout?"

"We're talking about this, sweetheart," Charlie says, and moprhs into Nora. Only, it's not exactly Nora, because Nora doesn't have a watermelon as a belly and-

Her jaw falls. Have they all lost their mind?

"Just stop it! Stop!" she yells, waving her hands angrily. "Why does everybody think I'm pregnant?"

There's a long, awkward silence, during which everyone around her shares doubtful look. Nora has a feeling she's the only one confused by the situation.

Nate puts an arm around her and squeezes reassuringly: "It's okay, babe. We know."

Nora hits him across his chest. "You know nothing, Nate Heywood!" She hits him again, and again. Nate whines. "There is absolutely no way I can be-"

"Are you telling me you and your hot blokes are not shagging hard and sweet every bloody night?" asks Charlie, back to her usual self.

Ray glances at Nate, blushing modestly. "Not __every__ night."

"Kinda every night," Nate corrects with a smug chuckle.

"Well, even once is enough, yeah?"

"She's right, maybe-"

"There's no maybe! I'm not pregnant!" Nora turns to Ray and Nate with a killer stare: "What is wrong with you two? You're __right there__ when we have sex, you __know__ how careful we are!"

There's a loud moan from Zari. "I really didn't want to hear this."

"I really did," Charlie smirks, earning an appreciative wink from Mick.

"Technically," Ray says. "There is an infinitesimal chance-"

Nora hits him, too. "Okay, whatever! Still not pregnant."

"Oh?"

Nate pouts. "But are you really __really__ sure?"

"Oh my god, just- Gideon?"

Everyone finally shuts up as Gideon announces: "Miss Darhk is currently under treatment for a mild case of influenza."

Nora brings a hand to her forehead and sinkiìs into the closest chair with a heavy sigh. "Thank you."

This explains so much: the obsessive, unnecessary protectiveness; the all too deep dietary concerns; the feeling of being constantly watched and patronised...

Nora almost feels guilty when she notices how Nate's and Ray's faces have fallen. It's almost like..

"Are you guys... disappointed?"

"No," Nate swallows and shakes his head. "Absolutely n- Yes, a little."

Disappointed. They're __disappointed__. As in: they would have loved having this with her. A baby. A __family.__

A part of Nora wants to laugh; another part of her, however, is deeply touched by the team's behavious in the last few days: it doesn't matter what they believed; they took care of her, made her feel loved and cherished, and this is a gift she could never take for granted.

She crosses her arms, trying to appear indignated, but the smile stretching her lips is too strong to be suppressed.

"I should have figured you were acting way too weird."

Ray breaks into a guilty grin: "We may have been a bit overprotective."

"A bit. But I kinda enjoyed it," Nora has to admit.

Sara looks pleasantly surprised. She playfully nudges Nora with a hip: "You did, now?"

Nora feels her cheeks warm up a little. "It just felt so nice to be pampered and taken care of..."

"Awww!" Sara joins her hands in front of her face with a dramatically moved expression. "Darhkling loves our cuddles!"

"Team hug!" Ray calls, and a second later Nora is in the middle of five pairs of arms – six, when Mick grudgingly decides to join.

Only Zari is keeping away. "I'm not doing this," she declares, arms stubbornly crossed, but Mick grabs her elbow.

"Yes, you are," he says as he unceremoniously drags into the collective hug.

Nora can't really tell where she ends and the others begin. This is certainly one hell of a technique to overcome the cold.

There's laughters and snorts and more laughters, and feet stepping over feet, and Nate may have just accidentally kissed John trying to kiss Nora, but it's good.

It's __good__.

Nora can't stop smiling.

She loves every single one of these fucked up weirdos with every fibre of her fucked up being.

She closes her eyes and tries to take it all in, tries to memorise every sensation, every bit of this ovewhelming feeling, wishing this could last forever – she, her boys, and her family.

Her home of flesh and bones.


End file.
